Featured Articles from the Morning Call

The Friday night lights still burn bright at area stadiums throughout the fall. But the crowds gathering under those lights aren't as large as they used to be. Football is still the attendance king when it comes to high school athletics, but the king's crown has lost some its luster in recent years as society in general, and the landscape of high school sports in particular, have changed. The days of high school football generating enough revenue to support the rest of a school's athletic program are long over, although it still is the best money producer.

Items for the calendar must be typed and received at least 10 days in advance of your proposed publishing date at: Sports Calendar, The Morning Call, P.O. Box 1260, Allentown, PA 18105. They may be faxed to the sports department at 610-820-8654 or sent via e-mail to sports@mcall.com. Items must include the name and phone number of a contact person. Handwritten announcements will not be published; and Calendar items will not be taken by telephone. COMING EVENTS COURSES THAT CARE: MILES MATTER FUNDRAISER FOR KRYSTA HANKEE MEMORIAL FUND, THROUGH OCT. 18 --Area golf courses will sponsor golf outings to donate gas cards to families who transport their children to Good Shepherd Rehab Center for medical care June 7, Bethlehem G.C. TBA, tee times 11 a.m.-1 p.m., phone 610-691-9393 July 5, Whitetail G.C. $33, hot dog and soda, tee times 11 a.m.-1 p.m. phone 610-837-9629 Aug. 9, Blue Ridge C.C. TBA, phone 610-826-2504 Aug. 22, Olde Homestead G.C. (senior specials apply)

Benjamin Franklin's mind was never idle as he looked for ways to improve life in his times. Check out his legacy of inventions, discoveries and observations — a long list prepared for the National Park Service's opening of the new Ben Franklin Museum in Independence National Historical Park, Philadelphia. It's no wonder he's still remembered and celebrated after three centuries. He invented: Swim fins Franklin/Pennsylvania stove Lightning rod Flexible catheter 24-hour, three-wheel clock Glass armonica, a musical instrument made of spinning glass Bifocals A long arm (extension arm to remove books from high shelves)

"Why is he pointing the gun at my head? There are other people in the room. I don't even know this guy." Many thoughts ran through Ronald "R.J." Souchak's mind in the infinite seconds that passed as William Jacob Beninsky clicked an empty revolver in his face. Blood poured from holes that a bullet ripped in his buttocks and left knee. Souchak continued to stare down the barrel of that handgun for many months after Beninsky, who was 48, had stormed into a party in the quiet coal town of Mahanoy City and opened fire.

Cancer of the tonsils doesn't strike many people. But when it does, it can be deadly if not caught and treated early. Most ear, nose and throat specialists see about six cases of tonsil cancer in a year, said Salisbury Township ear, nose and throat specialist Dr. Theodore H. Gaylor. But the cancer is considered rare, said Dr. Phillip Vigneri, director of radiation oncology at Sacred Heart Hospital, Allentown. "You can get a cancer anywhere in your mouth -- on the gum, soft palate, tongue, the area where the tonsils are," he said.

by JOSEPH McDERMOTT, The Morning Call Reporter Chris Elser contributed to this story | May 25, 1993

A slight, 15-year-old Upper Perkiomen High School student, fed up with harassment from a much bigger classmate, pulled a gun in his first class yesterday and killed his tormentor in front of 22 students, police said. Jason Michael Smith of the 700 block of Jefferson Street, Red Hill, then walked out of class and sat against a tree in front of the high school until police arrested him without incident less than an hour later. Michael Swann, 16, a 6-foot-5-inch sophomore from Finland Road, Marlborough Township, was pronounced dead in the second-floor classroom.

Bill Cecil and his son were out hunting wild turkey in the rain in 2010 when he got a call that the president would be at the family homestead in a half-hour. Barack Obama was not the first chief executive to visit the place on the outskirts of Asheville, N.C. Nor was William Amherst Vanderbilt Cecil Jr. the first of his family to welcome one. Cecil, 53, is the chief executive of the family-owned Biltmore Estate, North Carolina's most-visited tourist attraction and the largest privately owned home in the nation.

Q: I heard that carbon monoxide is used in the packaging of ground beef. Isn't this the same gas that's in your car exhaust and the same gas that can kill you in your sleep if your furnace malfunctions? A: Yes, this is indeed the same gas. Carbon monoxide -- chemical symbol CO -- is a molecule consisting of one carbon atom and one oxygen atom. This gas is colorless, odorless, tasteless, flammable and poisonous. According to its material safety data sheet, inhaling carbon monoxide may cause damage to the blood, lungs, cardiovascular system and central nervous system.

In the teenage life, everything is about freedom, getting away from home and being independent. Should there be a limit to this freedom? Teens follow a common trend today of loving the freedom of being able to drive. However, this could be a bad thing. In the first six months of 2012, deaths of drivers ages 16 and 17 increased 19 percent compared to the same period the year before. Why is this? There are plenty of things to blame; however, I blame the lack of training. Pennsylvania laws allow teens at age 16 to receive their permit, which allows them to drive with a licensed person.

Two daughters of legendary actress Joan Crawford continue to have a strained relationship, but their local court dispute appears to be over. Cathy LaLonde of Allentown, Crawford's adopted twin daughter, has been awarded $5,000 plus court costs for public statements Christina Crawford wrongfully made about her. LaLonde and Christina Crawford were among four children adopted by Joan Crawford. The others were Cynthia, the other twin, and Christopher. Christina Crawford told interviewers last year that LaLonde was not a twin, just a girl who looks like Cynthia.

After an accident in Bethlehem last month, Eric Decarlo was taken by ambulance to a hospital and his car was towed to a garage. Decarlo's injuries weren't serious. But his big headache was just beginning. He went to the garage, Sabo's Service Center in Bethlehem, the next day to check on his totaled 1993 Cadillac. He said he was told he owed several hundred dollars for towing and storage. Decarlo didn't have the money, so he asked if he could get a few things from the car and come back later to settle the bill.

During a December 2011 hearing, the married veterinarian took full responsibility for killing his pregnant girlfriend and unborn child in North Whitehall Township, saying he couldn't comprehend why he took their lives. "I'm paralyzed with shock over what I've done," David Rapoport, 32, of Montgomery County told Lehigh County Judge Robert L. Steinberg in a shaky voice. "From the bottom of my tattered soul and with all the pieces of my heart, I'm profoundly sorry. " That day, Rapoport pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree murder for the methodical slaying of Jennifer L. Snyder, 27, of Lower Macungie Township, and their unborn baby.

Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka had just walked into his Whitehall hotel room, where a beautiful young woman lay in his bed. It wasn't unusual for Snuka, a married man, to spend the night with his girlfriend, Nancy Argentino. But on this night, after the budding wrestling superstar had returned from a series of World Wrestling Federation TV tapings at the Allentown Fairgrounds, something was amiss. Argentino was gasping for air. Yellow fluid oozed from her mouth and nose. Snuka grabbed the room phone and frantically dialed the front desk.